


Greater love hath no man

by aostara



Category: Oz (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:47:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23022718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aostara/pseuds/aostara
Summary: Spoilers: Cuts Like a KnifeSummary: Chris' POV of the pod scene
Relationships: Tobias Beecher/Chris Keller
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Greater love hath no man

"Hey K-boy, didja hear? The cops found Hank Schillinger's body over in Massachusetts."

Chris stared at Ryan, feeling the blood drain out of his face in a rush. "You sure?"

Ryan shrugged. "S'what I heard. That and that his old man is on a rampage."

"Toby," Chris whispered. "I gotta..." And with that he was gone, headed for the cafeteria as fast as he could without breaking into a dead run.

"Go." Ryan whispered, saying a quick prayer as Chris disappeared. As fucked up as it had gotten, he knew that at least part of what kept Chris and Toby circling each other was love, and Cyril's reaction to those damn drugs had reminded him just how precious  
and rare that could be, especially in Oz.

Chris stopped at the door to the cafeteria, eyes narrowing as he searched for Toby. // Not here. Shit, there's Vern and Robson with that preacher. Toby, where are you? // He scanned the crowd, looking for anyone who might be able to help.   
// Rebadow. Thank Christ... that old man always seem to know everyone's business. //

"You seen Beecher? Where's Beecher? The shit is going down fast." Chris muttered as he slid into the seat next to Rebadow. He knew he probably looked as freaked out as he felt, but he figured that Rebadow had been their neighbor for long enough to  
know how things were between him and Toby.

"He had a play date with his daughter."

"Goddamn it. I got to get to him. How the fuck am I gonna get to him?"

// Play date with Holly. Oh God, Vern's gonna go after Holly. Toby... please, please stick close to the guards. //

Chris made the short walk back to Em City at record speed, then spent the next ten minutes prowling the open area, never taking his eyes off the gate that lead to the visitation rooms.

"Keller!" He looked up and found one of the hacks glaring at him from the guard station. "Take a fucking break, huh?" He grimaced, but bit back any further response. The last thing he needed right now was to be trapped in that damn cage. Besides,  
the hack was right. He needed to relax, to get his head together and figure out how to fix this. Chris instinctively headed for the bottom bunk in Toby's pod. He hadn't lived there in months, but -- like Toby -- he'd never stopped thinking of it as his.

After what felt like an eternity, Toby finally appeared, his face tear-streaked and his eyes infinitely sad.

"What are you doing here?" Toby asked, sounding as empty and cold as he had before Gary's funeral.

"They found Hank," Chris replied, wishing Toby would come closer.

"I know." Toby sighed, then, as if reading Chris' mind, sat down next to him.

"Holly...."

"She's... fine. Physically, anyway. My parents are taking her away for a while."

"You've gotta kill Schillinger."

"No."

"What's the alternative?" Toby had been a lawyer, he was a clever guy sometimes, maybe he'd come up with something better. After all, at this point it would be pretty obvious who did it, right?

"I let him kill me."

// I couldn't have heard that right. // "What the hell does that mean?"

"If I offer to die, maybe that'll end all this. Maybe he'll leave my family be."

// Of all the bone-headed, naive... hadn't he learned anything? // "And what are you gonna get out of him, a written guarantee?"

"What are my options?"

// Okay. Plan B. // "We pin Hank's murder on somebody else."

"Who? And then what? Schillinger kills that person? No, I've got enough death on my conscience. I've gotta go."

Toby stood to leave and Chris made a desperate grab, latching on to his arm like a lifeline. // No, Toby. I won't let you. I can't. // "No, Beech. Jesus. Come on, just listen to me. Let's just relax, alright? Let's breath. Alright? Think what you're doing.  
Think it through."

"I have. My family can't hide forever."

// No, you haven't. Dammit, your family needs you. You're almost up for parole. You're not the one who deserves to be punished. //

"If I don't handle this now, Schillinger will destroy them."

"That's what I'm talking about! Handling it! Don't you understand that?" // Whoa. Calm down, Keller. Toby sure doesn't need you to lose it. Not now. // "All we gotta do is kill Schillinger."

"And then the Aryans will still kill me."

// Over my dead body. //

"And for all I know Schillinger's unborn grandchild...."

Chris took a small step back, Toby's voice fading as realization hit. Toby meant it. He was going to sacrifice himself for a slim chance to save the people he loved. Suddenly a memory flashed through Chris' mind: begging Toby for a way to prove his love  
and that he was truly sorry for the pain he'd caused. 'Confess.'

"Chris, this is the only way to do it."

// No. It's not. // "Wait, wait, wait, wait." Chris pulled Toby into a tight hug, relishing the feel of the still-struggling man against him for the last time. 

"Chris, let me go!"

// Baby, please, don't push me away. Just a second more. // "Wait. Just wait, wait." Feeling Toby relax against him, Chris backed off, taking one last look into those sky blue eyes he loved so much. "Okay." Closing his eyes, he headbutted  
Toby, dazing him, but not quite knocking him out.

// God, Toby, please forgive me. This is going to hurt me just as much as it hurts you, but I need some time to fix this and you'd never listen. // With a groan, Chris punched Toby solidly in the jaw, making sure he was completely unconscious on the bunk before heading for the door. // Now all I need to do is find Reverend Cloutier. He's the only one Vern might listen to. //


End file.
